For of His fullness we have all received, and grace upon grace. ~ John 1:16

A Letter to the Martyrs in North Korea

“Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness,
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say
all kinds of evil against you because of me.Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven….” (Matthew 5:10-12)

My dear brothers and sisters in Christ,

Thank you for your sacrifice…

Thank you for reminding me to treasure eternity in my heart, to lay down this life for the sake of the next. That in this world there will be tribulation. There will be pain and suffering.

This is not home.

Thank you for conquering fear with love. For having more concern to see the lost come to repentance than in sparing your own life. For considering your suffering not worth comparing to the glory that will be revealed.

I am sorry…

I am sorry for the times I’ve not exercised my freedom to express my faith, love and devotion to our God. I’m sorry for the moments when I’ve not shared the gospel for fear of what people may think.

I’m sorry for my unwillingness to sacrifice my time, gifts, treasure, hopes and dreams for the kingdom while you are sacrificing your life. I’m sorry for my pride, my arrogance, time I’ve wasted in worry, doubt and fear.

You have made an impact…

You encourage me, build me up, spur me on to live in complete surrender to our God and King.

You make me want to live more courageously!To not shrink back from declaring the excellencies of our Father! To not fear trials and suffering for the gospel’s sake! To live this life for His glory and His kingdom! This life does not belong to me, it is His.